R. Venkataraman Biography 
R. Venkataraman was an Indian politician, lawyer and served as the eighth President of India. He was also an Indian Independence Movement activist. He also served as the Union Minister in the Ministry of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
R. Venkataraman was born on 4th December 1910 in Rajamadam village in Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu. He obtained his Masters degree in Economics from Loyola Collge in Madras. He studied law and started his career as a lawyer in the Madras High Court and then in the Supreme Court of India. He participated in the Quit India Movement of 1942. From 1947 to 1950 he served as the Secretary of the Madras Provincial Bar Federation. He married Janaki.
He served as the member of the Constituent Assembly. He served as the member of the Lok Sabha four times and as the Union Finance Minister and Defense Minister. He was elected as the seventh Vice President of India in 1984 and in 1987 he was made the 8th President of India. He served in this position till 1992.
He served as the minister of State during the tenure of K. Kamaraj and M. Bhaktavatsalam. When he was reelected to the Parliament in 1957, he resigned the seat to serve in the State Government of Madras as a Minister. He was appointed as the Member of the Union Planning Commission in 1967. In 1980 he was elected to Lok Sabha and he served as the Union Minister of Finance. It was he who shifted A P J Abdul Kalam from space program to Missile program when he was serving as the Union Minister of Defense. He named this as Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.
He received Doctorate degree from University of Madras, Nagarjuna University, Madras Medical College, University of Roorkee, and University of Burdwan. His service as the President of the U. N. Administrative Tribunal won him a Souvenir from the Secretary General of the United Nations. He died on 27th January 2009 at his age of 98.
Published: N/A
Updated: January 14, 2013
